(…continued) I once saw a big sign on the side of a city bus that said, “There’s probably no god, so stop worrying and enjoy your life.”
How do you respond to that little bit of advice? The implication is that believing in God is mostly a source of worry that will make you unable to enjoy life. Therefore, forget God (there is probably no god anyway), and then you don’t have to worry about being good, and then you can enjoy your life.
Do you find that convincing? Troubling?
I don’t, because I don’t accept any of the premises behind that statement, premises which have an entirely false concept of God. I can quickly dismiss that bit of nonsense because I know something about God.
Someone else, however, might find that advice convincing and appealing. They might not know much about God, and therefore imagine God to be nothing more than a harsh rule-giver and punisher. So, ‘no god, no problem.’ But I would want to ask them how well they know God, and inquire about their source of information.
Faith in God is not always easy, and how well you know God will determine how able you are to handle challenges such as unanswered prayer, unresolved family issues, movies that ridicule your faith, or a sign on a bus. A part of faith is knowing God, and knowing God means knowing something about God. This doesn’t mean everyone has to be an expert in the Bible and theology. But a faith that knows nothing about God is a fragile faith.
I entered college with a fragile faith. I had already read some things that challenged my meager knowledge of God. I wasn’t sure my faith would survive, nor was I even very concerned that it did. At that time, I probably would have reacted positively to the sign on that bus. ‘No god, no worries, have fun,’ would have sounded good to me.
I was at a Lutheran college and was required to take a couple religion classes. One of these classes included the reading of two books by Paul Little. The titles of the books were Know What You Believe and Know Why You Believe. Those books changed my life. After I read those two terrific books, I knew something about God. I then had the knowledge that could handle some of the challenges and questions I was facing. My faith was then no longer blown away by a few simple objections, no more than my friendship with Charlie was destroyed by a single thoughtless remark. I was getting to know God, and faith was beginning to grow.
We all need to find ways to get to know God, with our hearts and with our minds—both are in Psalm 36:10: “Continue your love, O Lord, to those who know you, (head knowledge), and your righteousness to the upright in heart” (that is the emotional and ethical part). The two work together. What I know makes me want to trust, take comfort in Jesus, and obey him.
A young man named Pete said to me, “How can you believe in a book like the Bible which is supposed to be God’s Word but has so many contradictions in it?” I said, “That is a very good question. We have some time to talk, so let me try to deal with those contradictions one at a time. Tell me the biggest one first. Of all the many Biblical contradictions, tell me which one is most troubling for you.” Pete got this puzzled look on his face, was silent for a while, and finally said, “Well… I can’t think of any right now.” I said, “Pete, do you mean to tell me you are carelessly disregarding the gift of eternal life offered to you in Jesus Christ because of all the contradictions in the Bible, and you can’t even name one? Who told you there were contradictions? Did you ask them any questions, did you ask them to point out all the contradictions, or did you just blindly and dumbly agree? People a lot smarter than you, Pete, have believed in that Bible, so it is pretty foolish for you to abandon it for no other reason than that.”
Many people, like Pete, give up on God without knowing Him very well at all. Make sure you know God and that you know something about God so you don’t end up like Pete, throwing away your best hope for no good reason. We all have different priorities, of course, but one area that should be a priority for everyone, all the time, is getting to know Jesus in whatever way works for you. Find the ways you can get to know Him better. (continued…)
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Mark 12:30 — (Jesus said), “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”
Ephesians 1:17 — I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
John 17:3 — Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
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Thanks be to thee, my Lord Jesus Christ,
for all the benefits thou hast given me,
for all the pains and insults thou hast borne for me.
O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother,
may I know thee more clearly,
love thee more dearly,
and follow thee more nearly, day by day. Amen.
–St. Richard of Chichester (1197-1253)
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